Netflix has made the grave mistake of releasing a report that showed that its recently canceled series Shadow and Bone had actually performed rather well between January and July. This has added more fuel to the fire as fans of the show are pissed and demanding to know why the show was canceled.
On December 12, Netflix released the figures for its most-watched shows, looking at 20,000 titles released from January to June 2023. It showed that, at that time, the most-watched show was the thriller The Night Agent, with season two of Ginny & Georgia next, then Korean drama The Glory, then Wednesday (still going strong after premiering end of 2022), and then Bridgerton spinoff Queen Charlotte.
What has shocked those recently upset by the cancellation of the Leigh Bardugo adaption Shadow and Bone was that the show featured fairly high up the list, which just further rubs salt into the wound and calls its cancellation into question.
Netflix canceled several series after the SAG-AFTRA and Writer’s Strikes came to an end last month, and the hit fantasy series was one of them. Of all the canceled series, though, Shadow and Bone ranked the highest in regards to views. In fact, nothing above it was canceled, meaning that just above the show was where Netflix drew the line.
Upon hearing the news, fans are not happy at all.
Now that fans have seen the data, they feel that Netflix must be able to do something work.
Of course, one canceled show has to have the highest figures, but with Shadow and Bone appearing to have done so well, how could cancellation have come up?
Not only did it land within the top 30 shows on Netflix between January and July, but it was recently revealed that it was one of the most globally searched-for TV series of the year.
To this fan, the series’ cancellation just makes no sense.
It was also Emmy-nominated for its special effects, proving that, yes, the budget may have been high, but it seems it was worth it.
This user has their own ideas about why the show was scrapped, and it has to do with the series showrunner having been a big part of the WGA strike:
It was reported in Variety that the reason for the cancellation was that, as streamers assessed the damage caused by the strikes (damage that could have been prevented if studios just paid their staff a fair wage for their work), Netflix was looking at the cost vs. viewing figures evaluation.
Though the show may have been expensive to make and season two may not have hit as hard as season one, the figures released do prove that the audience is there. Regardless, it seems fans will have to let go, maybe turn to the books instead, and give Netflix a rest.
(featured image: Netflix)
